CHAPTER FOURTEEN –Worth It.

I own nothing. AN at the bottom, enjoy!

BPOV

I woke slowly to feel soft bedding, plush and warm. It screamed thread count.

Definitely not mine.

My eyes shot open and memories of last night's event then stormed in my head and I sunk deeper into the bed at the realization.

I rubbed a hand over my eyes; remnants of last night's cakey eye make up transferring onto my fingers. Groaning, I landed with both feet on the carpeted floor, my eyes shooting around the room in search for a bathroom.

I groaned the exact second I saw my reflection on the mirror. Then smiled when I saw a yellow post it stuck to the surface.

'Breakfast's in the oven. Don't worry about Claire, she's fed. Be there when I get back? - E."

He drew a small smiley face below his initials and I smiled instantly at the gesture. I washed the black muck off my face as best as I possibly could and walked back inside the bedroom.

It looked like a guest room, this one. He had swim team trophies lined up against a sturdy bookshelf and a small armchair sat beside the bed, looking unused. He had old boxes shoved in the corner next to a dresser. I realized then that this room was probably put to no use at all and was just utilized as space for storage.

I looked around the room a little more before I walked outside to the confines of his apartment.

Since I didn't get to last night, I took the chance to look around. I could guess that his bedroom was through the door across the hallway but I didn't dare look inside. I walked out into his living area. His apartment was probably twice the size of mine, with two bedrooms and a separate dining area.

A small, white furball sat on his black couch, moving quietly as it breathed.

Claire.

My feet shuffled against the rug and the creature peered up at me, lifting its head off the couch before dropping it back down again.

The small puppy looked like an Asian bear. All small, slitty eyes and fuzzy paws. The puppy looked almost miniature on his large couch.

I smiled again for the millionth time that morning and made my way into his kitchen.

It was wonderful.

State of the art stoves and a high tech refrigerator. Marble countertops and Swiss knives and polished wooden cabinets.

I sat on the kitchen stool and looked at the black couch.

I could live with this.

oOo

I hopped into the shower after ransacking through his kitchen. Claire took it upon herself to follow me around the apartment, sitting on the cold linoleum floor of the bathroom as I showered.

She then proceeded to follow me back into the guest bedroom while I looked through his closet for something to wear. Her thick fur made her look pudgy, her little, chunky body oscillating from side to side like a swing. I was grateful for the little patters of her chubby paws against the hardwood, reminding me that I wasn't alone.

I pulled out a striped dress shirt from the dresser in the guest room. It was filled with warmer clothing and smelled of sandalwood. I chucked the drawer closed and picked up the shirt, pulling it over and buttoning it up. I'd placed my jeans and blouse in the washer to clean.

I knew that I couldn't have possibly left his place; he hadn't left me a key.

I was trapped in a small comfortable bubble.

This space was Edward's. I was in it. I was in his bubble, finally.

I couldn't think of anywhere else I could possibly be.

oOo

Edward finally came back soon after six and I was glad. Claire had kept me company but it was nothing close to what I felt around him. I spent the day watching mindless daytime TV and did yoga stretches on his floor, desperate for something to do.

I realized that I'd left my phone on the kitchen counter yesterday and had already run out of battery by then. I didn't bother with looking for a charger, choosing solitude over people. I didn't care if they failed to contact me. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be carefree.

I had my hair in a bun, held up with a chopstick, the other still in the drawer. I was still in his dress shirt as I cooked a simple chicken stir-fry when he walked in.

I smiled at him before he said anything, wooden spatula still in hand. I walked over to him as he put down his messenger bag and coat on the counter and his hand wrapped around my waist as his lips met my temple and my body melted in his hands.

"Hello to you, too."

He unwrapped his hand from my waist slowly and I walked back to the stove and continued stirring.

"This is the most amazing thing to come home to," his voice sounded tired but I could tell that he was completely at ease.

"Do you want to wash up a bit while I set up the table? You sound tired." I suggested, clicking off the stove and moving over to scour his silverware drawer.

Edward stepped in as I walked. "I'll set the table, don't worry."

I could only nod in response, plating the stir fry so that he could start eating.

oOo

EPOV

I watched as her hips swayed as she cooked, her feet randomly tapping to a non-existent beat. I watched her from my place by the kitchen island, my elbows folded and I began planning our life together. We'd probably never have this moment repeated but we'd have others. We'd wake up together in our small condo, the sounds of the busy city streets loud and persistent. We'd have coffee in small cafes on the streets of London. We'd pack our life into boxes and then unpack them again, sure this time of where we were starting.

We were young and we weren't even 'together' yet. We still hadn't shared our first date, let alone a kiss but this girl deleted every thought of uncertainty I could ever have.

We were young and stupid and I knew that we'd have to wait.

I'd wait forever for this girl.

oOo

BPOV

I sighed, completely at ease. After dinner, Edward cracked open a bottle of wine and we were both sipping without a care in the world. I leaned back in the couch and watched as Edward spoke about a man who stumbled in the ER drunk on his shift. He enjoyed the stir fry and I was glad.

We sat in his couch, an afghan blanket draped over both of our crossed legs.

"Hey, Bella?"

"Yeah?" I sipped on my wine and looked up at him.

"Ask me again."

I frowned, confused. "Ask you what?"

He took a tentative sip. "That question you asked me when we first met. Do you remember?"

I nodded. I remembered that day perfectly.

I unfolded my legs slightly, smiling reassuringly. "You sure?"

He nodded.

"So, what is your biggest baddest secret?" I squinted my eyes a little for emphasis and he chuckled, placing the wine glass down on the table.

"Well, I'm adopted." He paused, obviously checking for my reaction but I only nodded and urged him to continue.

"I was put into foster care when I was 9. My parents died in a car accident. It was snowing and the roads were slippery. I was in the backseat but I don't remember it. I got away barely scraped but I think that was just my mind pushing crap into the back of my head."

"I'm sorry…" I had more to say but I stopped myself. He needed to get this out of his system.

He nodded again, continuing.

"I don't remember the accident or what happened in the car that day. They could've been fighting for all I know but I remember leaving my house that day, it was a Sunday and we were going to get ice cream."

"All I remember was waking up in the emergency room and a doctor told me my parents were gone."

He gulped and I folded my knees up to my chest, leaning my cheek up against it.

"The doctor I met that night ended up adopting me after I spent a year in the system. Some foster parents were good, some were terrible. They tried their best but sometimes it just doesn't work, you know."

I nodded; I had no words to say. Edward refolded his legs and I followed his lips as he talked again, his eyes cast off to the side.

I noticed how his voice lowered down into a tone just louder than a whisper. His brows furrow and his forehead wrinkles, like he's thinking really deeply.

"When my parents died, they uh, they left me a lot of money. Carlisle put it away in a fund after the accident or else they would've been the government's money. I had no access to the fund until I was legal and I didn't even know about it until I was18. I used it for med school. Carlisle was a doctor too and I guess I just wanted to repay him."

I stretched one of my legs forward so that my toes touched his feet under the blanket.

"I have memories of my parents, each one is clear in my mind… But that accident, I've been trying for as long as I could remember and I just… I can't. I remember my mother. I remember her cooking in our bright yellow kitchen. I remember how my dad smelled, all sweat and masculinity. It's funny what you remember. I couldn't remember what my mom said to me that day but I remember the hem of her sundress, lined with a lace ribbon and I remember the way my dad's hair hung on his shirt collar, like he needed a haircut."

We sat in silence for a moment.

His voice, his body language, his expressions… This wasn't a story he routinely told. This was a story that had to be earned and I wondered how many people he'd told.

"I've never told anyone that before," he lifted his head and looked right at me.

I stretched out my legs and refolded them back behind me, snuggling up and placing my head at the crook of his armpit. The dress shirt wrinkled under me as I slid up. Edward wrapped an arm behind my neck and pulled me closer.

His hand rested on my waist and I closed my eyes for a moment, resting my head on his chest, feeling it rise and fall with his breathing.

I watched as my bare feet sat next to his sock covered ones and I chuckled a little, causing him to raise his brows at me and I shrugged.

oOo

EPOV

This girl was perseverance, strength and sensuality, sweaters and the smell of spring nights. Her eyes told me so much and her knowing smile was reassuring. I needed to hold in her in my arms and connect all the points that made her who she was, shoving all the pieces together until they made sense.

Her index finger started tracing small circles on my chest over my shirt. She was thinking but we were content in the silence.

"Why… why are you doing this?" Bella mumbled into my shirt, almost slurring.

She breathed deeply and her body expanded and retracted in my arms, the comfort of having her in my arms was unimaginable. Her energy radiated and soothed my insecurities.

"Why am I doing what?"

"You know," she continued to draw circles over my shirt, "fight for me…"

My answer came into mind without even thinking.

"You're worth it."

She lifted her head from my chest and I just knew that she was going to interrupt.

"Yes, you are."

She closed her mouth for a moment and opened it again.

"Shush it, it's nothing for you to worry over." I said with a smile.

She chuckled and placed her head on my chest again. I stretched my neck a little and saw that Claire was asleep on the floor.

My heart thumped in my chest, knocked on my ribs and thrummed on my skin. Her skin laid on my skin and the smooth skin of her cheek thrummed with mine.

"Bella?"

She hummed a tone in acknowledgment.

"You're kind, selfless, stubborn, mouthy, feisty, smart… You make me frustrated, angry, jealous…" I gulped.

"You are intoxicating. You make me feel consumed, challenged, awed and quite honestly, aroused."

She giggled tiredly on my chest and I laughed along with her. This girl made me silly and stupid.

We still had a lot to work through and I knew that her issues with Ben – that prick – weren't fully resolved yet. I didn't think that I could move forward with her, no matter how strong my feelings were, knowing that she hadn't settled things with that pretentious prick.

"Edward?"

"Hm?"

"I need to get home and get clean clothes."

I chuckled.

"Do you really?" She nodded.

"But Bella… You can take all my shirts."

She propped her chin on my chest.

"They look better on you." I admitted and she giggled even more.

God, I love that laugh.

I took my left hand and wrapped it around her waist.

"My phone died."

"I have a charger."

"I have no clothes.'

"I told you, you could borrow mine."

"I want to shower."

"You can shower here."

"Ew! And smell like a dude? No, thanks."

I wrapped my arm around her even tighter.

"Seriously?"

After a few minutes, I finally let go.

"Fine. But bring a change of clothes too."

She unwrapped herself from me and pulled down my shirt.

It didn't work, it barely covered her thighs.

She raised her eyebrows at me. "And your guitar."

She frowned with a smile and grabbed her trench coat from the kitchen island, wrapping it around her. She opened the door and stepped out just about halfway when I spoke again.

"Hurry back."

She smiled, "I will."

oOo

AN:

Finally… Yes, I know, I know. I'm sorry if you thought I was dead. Or if you thought the story was dead. I'm sorry I made you guys wait so long, but if you're here, reading, thank you.

I probably don't deserve reviews right now, but one would be nice. Just tell me how you hate me. Or how you wished I were dead because it was the only legitimate reason for not updating.

I'm starting the next one now. I hope that was the chapter you've all waited for. The good times are rolling from now on. The angst crap is pretty much over. Follow me on twitter if you want to know why I've been dead on ffn.

Thanks for reading! Leave a note on your way out; I'm okay with anons